Fox News Channel

On Saturday's Fox News Watch, two studies from the Media Research Center - parent organization to NewsBusters - were cited during the program. The first mention came during a discussion of Newark, New Jersey, Mayor Cory Booker's criticism of the Obama campaign's attacks on Mitt Romney's record at Bain Capital.

After panel member and FNC contributor Judy Miller wondered why either Romney's time at Bain Capital or the Reverend Jeremiah Wright's association with President Obama should not be considered "fair game," fellow panel member Jim Pinkerton of the The American Conservative magazine brought up the media's double standard of focusing much more on Republican Romney's wealth in 2012 as compared to Democrat John Kerry's wealth in 2004. Pinkerton:

NewsBusters for days has been strongly admonishing the media for ignoring the recent lawsuit by numerous Catholic entities against the Obama administration for its contraception mandate.

Appearing on Fox & Friends Saturday, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee likened this press boycott to "not covering the 'I Have a Dream' speech by Martin Luther King in 1963. It’s like missing the Roe v. Wade decision and not thinking that’s significant. It’s like somehow missing Brown versus Board of Education" (video follows with transcript and commentary):

Fox’s Your World with Neil Cavuto invited on MRC director of media analysis Tim Graham on Thursday to discuss the network near-blackout on the massive group of Catholic lawsuits against the Obama administration over their narrow definition of what a “religious institution” is. Substitute host Eric Bolling showed CBS leading off with Catholic sex abuse charges again, and asked if there were lighter stories on the evening news that deserved less attention than this litigation.

“Last night, the other two networks led with the Facebook IPO that’s collapsing,” Graham said. “But they had time for – ABC had three minutes on how you swim out of a rip current. They also had time on NBC to talk about how Prince Charles is trying his hand at being a DJ. So it’s not like they don’t have the time in these newscasts to devote two minutes to a lawsuit of this magnitude.” [Video and transcript below]

Appearing on Tuesday's The O'Reilly Factor on FNC, former FNC anchor - and former ABC correspondent - Brit Hume recounted the liberal bias many journalists exhibit in how they treat wealthy Republicans versus wealthy Democrats.

Appearing as a guest on Tuesday's The O'Reilly Factor to promote his book, Exit Interview, former ABC News president David Westin denied seeing a liberal bias among his colleagues when he was head of ABC News, and, when confronted by a recent study by the MRC's Business and Media Institute, rationalized the greater attention the media have paid to Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney's wealth this year as opposed to Democratic nominee John Kerry's wealth in 2004.

If there was a contest each week for the dumbest comment made by a member of the media, this would likely be last week's prohibitive favorite.

On the syndicated Chris Matthews Show this weekend, during a discussion about Barack Obama's America-hating Reverend Jeremiah Wright, the Chicago Tribune's Clarence Page actually said with a straight face, "Right-wing wouldn't have that story if it wasn't for the mainstream media" (video follows with transcript and commentary):

During his regular "Miller Time" segment on FNC's The O'Reilly Factor, comedian Dennis Miller on Wednesday reacted to President Obama's recent appearance on ABC's The View, tagging his administration as a "Kardashian presidency."

He also suggested that host Bill O'Reilly is not tough enough on Obama, as he teased the FNC host as a "fanboy."

When O'Reilly opined that people like Obama personally because he seems like someone "you could play basketball with," Miller took at jab at the President's job performance as he quipped:

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Judy Miller had some harsh words for the Washington Post Saturday.

Appearing on Fox News Watch, the former New York Times reporter said of the Post's recent smear of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, "Where are the comparable pieces about Barack Obama’s missing background?" (video follows with transcript and commentary):

Liberal columnist Kirsten Powers on Saturday made an observation about Barack Obama's same-sex marriage flipflop that few media members would dare.

During a Fox News Watch discussion about how differently the press handle the President's changes of heart versus Mitt Romney's, Powers observed, "This is less evolution and more intelligent design" (video follows with transcript and commentary):

Fox News's Bill O'Reilly on Friday lambasted the Washington Post for its pathetic hit piece on Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

"If while Governor of Massachusetts, Romney shaved Barney Frank's head, then you might have a story. But a prep school prank?" incredulously asked O'Reilly. "The Romney story means nothing, period" (video follows with transcript and absolutely no need for additional commentary):

Appearing as a guest on Wednesday's The O'Reilly Factor on FNC to discuss his recent criticism of President Obama on the tax issue, former Saturday Night Live comedian Jon Lovitz accused President Obama of being "not honest" in criticizing the wealthy for not paying enough taxes, complained that the President is being "divisive," and asserted that "it makes me angry" because Obama is "pitting Americans against each other." Lovitz:

While its leftist critics continually ignore them, Fox News Channel employs a number of liberal commentators. Unfortunately, it is continuing to stand by one of them, Democratic strategist Jehmu Greene, who insulted Daily Caller editor Tucker Carlson as a “bow-tying white boy.”

Greene, former national director of the liberal group Project Vote, made the insult during a debate with Carlson on last Thursday’s “America Live” show and has since apologized privately, however in an interview with Accuracy in Media, the network did not indicate that Greene would face further repercussions for her racist outburst.

"It is inconceivable that had a white mob set upon two black Americans the media would sit it out."

So said Fox News's Bill O'Reilly Monday about the media's almost total silence about a white couple that was attacked by a crowd of young African-Americans three weeks ago in Norfolk, Virginia (video follows with transcribed highlights and commentary):

Bill Keller, former executive editor of the New York Times, devoted his latest Sunday Review column on the evil that is the Rupert Murdoch-owned Fox News: "Murdoch’s Pride Is America’s Poison."

(Times Watch has documented the long anti-Fox, anti-Murdoch obsession of both Keller and Howell Raines, another former executive editor, which recently culminated in the paper's heavy front-page coverage of Murdoch's travails in Britain.)

If you hoped the race card wasn't going to be played by media members this election, think again.

On Fox News's America Live Friday, liberal commentator Jehmu Greene said to the Daily Caller's Tucker Carlson, "To question [Massachusetts Democratic senatorial candidate Elizabeth Warren] on her qualifications is going to be something that does appeal to folks like you, voters like you - bow-tying white boys" (video follows with transcribed highlights and commentary):

There's a clear Rupert Murdoch obsession within the headquarters of the New York Times. In anticipation of a report from the British government, the Times in the last week has gone into overdrive with front-page stories attacking the international media mogul and chief executive of News Corporation, which oversees conservative-leaning media organs and is a direct Times competitor in New York with the Wall Street Journal and New York Post.

The "damning report" was featured on Wednesday's front page: "Panel in Hacking Case Finds Murdoch Unfit as News Titan." It marks the fourth time in eight days that the Times has played the unfolding media and political scandal on the front page. In contrast, the Washington Post played today's news in the Style section.

Despite appearing on ABC's Good Morning America Monday, former CBS Evening News anchor Dan Rather canceled his scheduled interview on Fox News's O'Reilly Factor later in the day.

With this in mind, political commentator Bernie Goldberg told Bill O'Reilly Monday night that Rather is "more comfortable with sitting down with a murderer like Saddam Hussein than sitting down with you" (video follows with transcript and absolutely no need for additional commentary):

Although the list is long and undistinguished, PBS's Tavis Smiley said possibly one of the dumbest things he's ever said on television Wednesday.

In a discussion about class warfare and the politics of envy on Fox News's Hannity show, Smiley actually said with a straight face, "No one who happens to be poor wants what Mr. Romney has" (video follows with transcript and commentary):

As NewsBusters reported, MSNBC's Chris Matthews last Thursday actually asked his guests if voters and pundits are going to be reluctant to dump Barack Obama this November because he's the first black president.

Media analyst Bernie Goldberg took issue with this on Fox News's The O'Reilly Factor Monday saying, "It's because he's a liberal, and like many liberals, he's obsessed with race" (video follows with transcript and commentary):

For over a year, the Left and their media minions have dishonestly claimed Congressman Paul Ryan's (R-Wisc.) proposed budgets would "end Medicare as we know it."

At the end of a discussion about Monday's report from the Medicare trustees predicting the program goes bankrupt in 2024, Special Report host Bret Baier got NPR's Mara Liasson to admit Medicare will end as we know it even if Congress doesn't pass the Ryan plan (video follows with transcript and commentary):

Geraldo Rivera on Friday accused MSNBC anchors of not caring at all about the evidence concerning the shooting of Trayvon Martin and instead "cheerleading for the conviction of George Zimmerman."

Appearing on Fox New's The O'Reilly Factor, Rivera specifically pointed his finger at Martin Bashir, Chris Matthews, Lawrence O'Donnell, Al Sharpton, and Ed Schultz (video follows with transcript and commentary:

Fox News contributor and former Democratic strategist Bob Beckel directed an F-bomb at female Tea Party activist Jennifer Stefano during Monday’s Hannity.

The two were arguing through a commercial break, and Beckel apparently didn’t know they were back live when he made his indelicate remark (video follows with transcribed highlights and commentary):